Damien Wilde / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is rolling out a server-side update for YouTube that introduces a larger picture-in-picture mode, which offers improved visibility over the current mini-player.
- The new picture-in-picture mode allows users to continue browsing YouTube while watching videos, with features like play/pause, 10-second rewind/forward options, and the ability to resize and move the window.
- Unlike the background play feature exclusive to Premium subscribers, this enhanced picture-in-picture mode will be available to free users.
It appears that Google is rolling out a server-side update that makes it possible for YouTube users to view videos in a larger picture-in-picture (PiP) window directly within the app. In contrast, as of now, users need to rely on a rather restrictive mini-player that appears just above the bottom bar in the app. Expectedly, in the current version of the app, the cropped window playing the video offers limited visibility, and you pretty much must rely on the audio to follow along.
If you’ve found this UI as frustrating as we have, good news is on the way — the YouTube app will soon feature a slightly larger PiP window that will offer a much better view of the video content you’re playing (via 9to5Google). Like in the case of the mini-player, you can continue browsing YouTube while the video is playing, so there’s not much change on that front. In the reporting outlet’s image below, you can see just how different the mini-player looks in the new design on the right.
When this update is rolled out, the redesigned mini-player will appear as a rectangular card with rounded edges. On the bottom, you have a pause/play button with options to rewind or skip forward beside it. But that’s not all. In fact, the standout feature of this redesign is that you’ll get to resize the mini-player. You can either choose to have it appear the way it does by default or expand it so it takes up more of the screen space. You can even move the window around by dragging the multiplayer.
Unlike the background play feature that is only available to Premium subscribers, Google appears to be offering this feature for free users as well, so that’s a welcome change. We tested this ourselves and have yet to see the change on our apps, despite updating to the latest version of YouTube. However, we’re hopeful we’ll have access to this improved functionality in the near future.
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